Bacon-Latticed Apple Pie

This pie is both sweet and salty, which is my favorite dessert combination. As the fat renders from the bacon, it begins permeating the crust of the pie with its smoky drippings. The smoky bacon, mingling with the spiced apples and bourbon-infused crust, is heavenly.

Preparation

Make the pie dough:

In a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment, combine the flour, salt, and sugar with your fingertips. Add the cold butter and mix on low until the dough looks like coarse sand. Turn the machine off and blend any large pieces of butter with your fingertips, making sure there are no pieces of butter larger than the size of a pea.

In a measuring cup, combine the bourbon and ice water. With the stand mixer on low, slowly dribble in the bourbon water 1 tablespoon at a time. Add just enough liquid for the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl. (You may not need to use all the bourbon water.) Pinch the dough between your fingertips; it should be smooth, not sticky or crumbly. Gently press the dough together and shape into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, rotating it in quarter-turns, until 12 to 14 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Gently fit the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edges of the dough with scissors, making sure to leave at least a 1-inch overhang.

Crack the egg into a small dish. Without breaking the yolk, use a pastry brush to gently coat the bottom and sides of the pie shell with a thin layer of the egg white (reserve the remaining egg). The egg white creates a barrier between the filling and the crust as it bakes, keeping the crust from getting soggy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Spoon the filling into the chilled pie shell. Place 3 bacon slices on top of the filling horizontally. Then, one by one, place the remaining 3 strips vertically, lifting every other horizontal strip to create a basket weave lattice. Crimp the edges by folding the excess overhang inward at a slight angle and pressing down firmly with your thumb.

Continue crimping the edges all the way around the pie, tucking in the ends of the bacon slices as you crimp the edges. Beat the reserved egg and gently brush onto the exposed edges of the pie dough. Refrigerate the pie for 20 minutes to allow the pastry to set.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Place the pie on the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake until the crust is golden brown and the bacon is crisp, about 30 minutes. Cover the edges of the crust with foil if it is browning too quickly. Drain off any excess liquid by tipping the pie to one side. Let cool for 1 hour before serving.

Tip

Adding bourbon to pie dough may seem peculiar, but it works wonderfully—much better than water. When you add water to pie dough, the proteins in the flour are hydrated to form gluten, which makes the dough difficult to roll out and makes the crust tough. Alcohol inhibits gluten formation, which results in a consistent, tender, flaky crust that is easy to roll out every single time. And the aroma of bourbon as you roll this pie dough is heavenly! For those of you who worry your pies will taste like bourbon, don’t. The alcohol evaporates during baking. If you don’t have bourbon you can substitute with vodka.